Because of the individual authority of each State for its own educational program, practices and policies differ widely among them in many respects. Yet in the midst of differences there are also common elements of development. The U. S. Office of Education, in presenting this series of monographs, has attempted to point out those common elements, to analyze the differences, and to present significant factors in State educational structure. In so doing, it accedes to the requests of a large number of correspondents who are students of State school administration and who have experienced the need for the type of material offered in this series. The report included in the present monograph deals with the historical development, functions, and activities in the pupil personnel area. Specifically, the report covers compulsory school attendance, school census, child labor, guidance, evaluation, and measurement. While State laws regulating compulsory education, the taking of the school census, and child labor often give joint responsibility to State and local authorities, this bulletin is concerned only with the functions exercised by State authorities. It is presented in three parts: (1) Compulsory School Attendance, the School Census, and Child Labor; (2) Guidance in State Departments of Education; and (3) Evaluation and Measurement. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures, and 36 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]